STRICTLY Ballroom contestant Dani Harmer can show off her dancing skills when she plays the title role in Cinderella, the first Christmas pantomime at the York Barbican.

The Tracy Beaker and Dani’s House star will swap one ballroom for another when she appears in Cinderella from December 21 and 30, and should she and dance partner Vincent Simone make it all the way to the Strictly final, she might have to miss one night of the York panto.

“But I’m not thinking that far ahead,” says the Bracknell-born actress.

“I’ve no idea how I’d manage to combine pantomime rehearsals with rehearsing routines with Vincent, but I’m pretty sure I can cope as I’m a really hard worker.

“I will put in as much work as I possibly can with the cast here and hopefully go as far as I can in Strictly.”

Dani made her Barbican debut in April when she played Dorothy in The Wizard Of Oz. “All the kids loved that show and it’s a great venue, and in December we’ll have something for everyone in Cinderella,” she says.

She is looking forward to starring as Cinderella for the first time. “Normally I play a boy, Peter Pan, so it’ll be a little different from flying around in shorts. Now I’ve got a pretty ballgown to wear – and I’m looking forward to the transformation scene the most,” says Dani.

“Cinderella is one of my favourite pantos, and the great thing is I get to work with one of my best mates, Joe Tracini. He rang me to say he’d been offered the part of Buttons, and I persuaded him to do it, though it didn’t take much persuading as we’re such good friends.”

Dani has plenty to focus on right now, taking Strictly Come Dancing one step at a time, but she is anticipating her return to York in December.

“The magic of pantomime is seeing all the kids’ faces and it’s so nice for families to come along and forget the stresses of Christmas and sing along and cheer and boo in all the right places – and hopefully not boo me.”

Before then, she will be hoping for plenty more cheers in Strictly, a primetime BBC1 show she is relishing. “I was headhunted for it and I was over the moon because I’ve wanted to be on it for years,” says Dani.

She is not a dance novice. “I used to do ballet and tap at a theatre school in London,” says Dani, 23, who attended Redroofs Theatre School. “I started ballet at three, really young, and I absolutely loved it, but at 16 the acting took over and I haven’t really done it since then – and I’ve never done ballroom before.”

Nevertheless, her dancing prowess on Let’s Dance for Sports Relief must have caught the eye of the Strictly selectors. “I danced with Tyger Drew Honey from Outnumbered and doing that show definitely helped me get on to Strictly, as I know how to perform in front of millions of people,” she says. “But it’s still nerve-wracking.”

• Cinderella will run at York Barbican from December 21 to 30. Box office: 0844 854 2757.